Run mending needle



Nov. 17, 1931. J. MESSING RUN MENDING NEEDLE Filed March 5, 1930 Patented Nov. 17, .1931

PATENT OFFICE JOSEPH MESSING, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

' mm mnnnme NEEDLE Application filed March 3, 1930. Serial No. 432,682.

tories because women who would be glad to 1 use them do not have the time or opportunity to acquire the necessary skill which can ordinarily be obtained only by a considerable period of training. The chief object of the present invention is, therefore, to provide a needle which can be used by anyone without any training period; also which is capable of use by a person having only the written'ex-o planation of its method of use.

I also found that the features of my invention which give to the needle the requisite simplicity and ease of operation also increase very greatly the possible speed of operation. In fact I find that an unskilled person can in a few minutes learn to operate the needle as fast as the fingers are capable of moving.

In the aforesaid patent there is shown a hand operated needle comprising a relatively long hook and a short notched latch, i. e., a latch having two prongs, one of whichis adapted to cooperate with the end of the hook when the needle is in closed position. The latch is opened by engagement of the cross thread with the long .prong thereof and is closed by the engagement of the cross thread-with the short prong, as distinguished from the needles of the prior art which depend solely upon the loop thread to operate the latch. N otwithstandmg the fact that my, earlier needle, referred to above, constitutes a distinct advance in the art of hand operated needles of the foregoing character and one which is easy of operation and ca able of being used by unskilled operators, have made the important discovery that by combining a guide for the cross thread with my aforesaid improved needle, the resultant structure is capa leof even easier and more certain operation than heretofore. My improved needle therefore, includes means carried by or positioned along side of the shank and 56 latch when the latch is in open position to direct the cross thread into engagement with the latch to close the same, and the possibility of dropping a stitch is entirely prevented. .7 Such means also prevents the cross thread 60 from entering the space between the shank and said means with the loop thread on'the' extreme down movement of the needle. It has been found in practice that the needle of my present invention may be operated satisfactorily by the most unskilled operator,

and this is true regardless of the position in which the needle is held during operation.

I also provide my improved needle with a latch having a notch or slot formed therein of peculiar shape which permits the opening of the latch by the cross thread, and the closing of the same thereby very rapidly with the application of ver slight pressure, thus eliminating any possi ility of injuring the cross thread during the mendingoperation.

The above and other objects of the invention will appear from the following description and appended claims when considered in connection with the accompanying drawin s, in which:

1 ig. l is a perspective view of the needle of m invention with my improved guide, showlngthe latch in closed position, and illustrating the first step of inserting the needle in the lastperfectloop below the run.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the needle, partly in section, showing the latch in open position. i

Fig. 3 is a front edge view of the needle with the latch in open position. Figs. 4 to 10 inclusive are side elevations illustrating the various positions of the latch, cross thread and loop during the several steps. of the operation of the needle while forming a complete loop in the fabric.

. Fig. 11 is an enlarged elevational view of the latch. V V Before explaining in detail the present invention, it is tobe understood that the in- I intended to limit the invention beyond the terms of the several claims hereto appended as considered in view of the prior art and the requirements thereof.

Referring now to the drawings, 25 represents as a whole the improved needle of my invention, having a shank 26 and a relatively long hook 27 formed thereon. The hook is provided with a point 28 spaced from the shank 26 and forming therebetween a throat 29 for the free entrance of a thread betweenv the point of said hook and the shank- The opposite end of the shank is provided with a handle 30 for operating the needle.

The shank is provided with an enlarged portion forming cheek pieces 31, between which is formed a slot 32, in which is pivotally mounted a latch 33. The latch is preferably mounted upon a shaft or pin 34 having hearings in the cheek pieces 31.

The latch 33 is provided with a bifurcated free end portion comprising'a long fork or prong 35 and a relatively shorter fork or prong 36. Between these prongs is formed a notch or slot 37 of peculiar formation to receive the thread. The short prong 36 is relatively wider than the long prong 35 and is provided with a hump or raised portion 36a pointing into the slot 37, for a purpose to be fully described hereinafter. As seen in Figs. 1, 4, 9 and 10, when the latch is closed, the longer fork or prong 35 extends slightly beyond the point 28 of the hook, and the shorter prong 36 is positioned within the slot 32 and concealed by the cheek pieces 31. In this position it will be seen that the notch 37 communicates with the throat 29 of the hook. The cheek pieces 31 extend a sufficient distance in the opposite direction from the hook 27 to allow the longer fork or prong 35 to occupy the slot 32 when the latch is in its open position, as shown in Figs. 2, 6, 7 and 8. Beyond the cheek pieces 31 and the upper end of the slot 32 toward the handle, the shank 26 is enlarged as shown at 38, and is tapered off to provide an inclined surface or cam portion 38. This cam extends obliquely from the wide portion of the shank forming the enlargement 38 toward the upper portion of the shank which 'is of less width from front to back above the cam 38' than the width of the cheek pieces. The cam 38' serves to retard the movement of the loop thread I) over the needle shank toward the latch on the upward movement of the needle.

By retarding the movement of the loop thread over the cam toward the latch, the cross thread a will engage the prong 36 of the latch and rotate the latch so as to lift the longer prong or fork 35 out of the slot 32 before the loop thread 6 reaches the upper end of the slot and thus prevent its entry into the notch of the latch with the cross thread. On further upward movement of the needle the cross thread a which has now entered the slot 37 moves through the throat 29 and into the hook of the needle, whereas the loop thread which follows the cross thread rides over the top of the long prong 35 and slips ofi' the hook. This operation is best illustrated in Figs. 8, 9 and 10.

I shall now describe the improved guide of my invention which is shown as a whole at 39. The guide is formed of metal and comprises a body portion 40, preferably in the form of a sleeve adapted to surround the shank 26 and be held in the socket of the handle 30, with the shank of the needle. If desired, however, the guide may be welded, soldered or secured in any other suitable manner to the needle shank. The guide also comprises a free lower end portion 41 which is slightly offset from the sleeve portion 40 and extends along side and projects above the shank of the needle adjacent the enlargement 38 and the latch when the latter is in open position. It will be seen (Fig. 3) that there is a slight space or clearance between the needle shank and the portion 41 of the guide to allow the passage of a thread 6 which is looped around the shank. This space is designated by the numeral 45. The lower end of the portion 41 is pointed at 42 and is cut away at 43 on its underside to provide a shoulder or abutment 44.

The operation of my needle is as follows:

The hook 27 of the needle is inserted in the last complete loop 6 below the run as shown in Fig. 1 and this loop is caught in the eye of the hook as best shown in Fig. 5, with the hookpositioned between the loop and the first cross thread a. On downward movement of the needle the loop 6 rides up the shank of the needle and the cross thread a which rides over the top face of the points 28 engages the long prong 35 of the latch and starts to open it, while at the same time the loop I) is entering the notch 37 of the latch. On further downward movement the latch is moved to its full open position whereupon the loop 6 passes between the guide 41 and the needle shank and enters the space 45. The cross thread a, however, engages the abutment 44 and does not enter the space 45 with the loop. In Fig. 7 the position of the latch is shown with the long prong 35 housed within the slot 32 and the short prong 36 having its point lying along side the lower or pointed end 42 of the guide, with the loop 6 in the space 45 and the cross thread (1 engaging the abutment. On the reverse or up stroke of the needle, the guide 41 directs the.

thread a. into engagement with the short prong of the latch and prevents itfrom becoming released. As the latch swings downward to closed position the cross thread a enters the notch in the latch and is directed toll through the throat 29 into the hook of the needle, whereas the loop thread I; rides over the outer face of the long prong 35 and off the hook as shown in Fig. 10. It will be seen (Figs. 6 and 7) that when the needle is moved down, .the pointed end 42 of the guide enters the space and separates the cross threads a and a to eliminate the possibility of more than a single cross thread moving into position to be engaged by the latch during its closing operation. It will be understood that the guide will cause the cross thread a to enter the notch in the latch and start to close the latch before the loop 6 reaches a position whereby it can engage the long prong of the latch'on its outer surface. By providing the short prong with the diverging portion from its point toward the hump or shoulder 36a, it will be seen that during the initial .upward movement of the needle, the cross thread a after engaging the point of the short prong rides up the diverging portion toward the hump 36a and over the same, thereby accelerating or quickening the'closing movement of the latch, which movement quickly withdraws the long prong 35 from its position within the slot 32 and elevates it above the needle shank before the loop thread 6 which is closely wrapped around the shank, can move into position to enter the notch of the latch with the cross thread. Referring to Fig. 8, it will be seen that on further upward movement of the needle the loop thread 5 enters the space between the elevated prong 35 and the needle shank, and as the upward movement of the needle is continued, the cross thread a enters the throat 29 of the hook and the loop thread 1') rides over the top of the latch and 0d the hook as shown'inFigs. 9 and 10.

The long pron 35 of the latch is also specially formed. he inner edge of this prong diverges from the point or tip to the hump or shoulder 3502 to provide a slightly flat surface 35?). Beyond the hump, the prong converges as at 350 toward the outer edge of the' prong and forms one wall of the notch 37. As seen in Figs 2, 6 and 7, the long prong 35 is housed entirely within the slot 32 but due to the thickened portion, the hump or shoulder 35a lies substantially flush with the upper edges of the cheek 6, during the down stroke of the. needle rides over it and forces it completely into the slot to hide the point of the prong 35 where itremains until the action of the cross thread against the short prong 36 swings the latch about its pivot pin 34 during the up stroke of the needle to close the latch. Another feature of the hump or shoulder 35a-is best shown in Fig. 9, where it will be seen that as the latch is swung toward and into its closed position, the cross thread a is held in thenotch 37 behind the hump 35a so that it must enter.

the throat 29 of the hook when the latch engages the point of the hook.

I claim:

1. A hand operated mending needle comprising a shank having a relatively long hook, a relatively short latch itself provided with a hook engaging prong and a short prong, a guide adjacent the short prong when the latch is in open position to cause the cross thread to engage the short prong, said short prong diverging from its point to provide a widened portion, whereby when the cross thread engages the short prong it rides over the .wid-

pieces 31, so that the loop ened portion thereof to accelerate the movement of the latch toward its closed position and prevent the entry of the loop thread into the space between the short prong and the hook engaging prong.

2. A hand operated mending needle comprising a shank having a relatively long hook, a relatively short latch itself provided with a hook engaging prong and a short prong, a

guide adjacent the short prong when the latch is in open posi" ion to cause the cross thread to engage the short prong, said short prong diverging from its point to provide a widened portion, whereby when the cross thread engages the short prong it rides over the widened portion thereof to accelerate the movement of the latch toward its closed position and to elevate the hook engaging prong from the shank of the needle before being reached by the loop thread, thereby preventing the entry of the loop thread into the space between the short prong. and hook engaging prong.

3. A hand mending needle comprising a slotted shank having a relatively long hook, a latch adapted to enter said slot when in open position itself provided with a short prong and a hook engaging prong providing a notch therebetween, a guid adjacent the short prong when the latch is in open position to cause the cross thread to engage the short prong, said hook engaging prong diverging from its point to form a widened portion of the prong, whereby during the down stroke of the needle the loop thread engages th widened portion and forces the point of the hook engaging prong into the slot below the upper surface-of the shank.

4. A hand mending needle comprising a slotted shank having a relatively long hook, a latch adapted to enter said slot when in open position itself provided with a short prong and a hook engaging prong providing a notch therebetween, a guide adjacent the short prong when the latch is in open position to cause the cross thread to engage the short prong, said hook engaging prong diverging from its point to form a widened portion of the prong, said short prong also diverging from its point to provide a widened portion, whereby during the down stroke of the needle the loop thread engages the Widened portion of the hook engaging prong and forces the point thereof into the slot below the upper surface of the shank, and during the up stroke of the needle the cross thread engages the short prong and rides over the widened portion thereof to accelerate the movement of the latch toward its closed position and prevent the entry of the loop thread into the space between the short prong and the hook engaging prong. v

5. A hand operated mending needle comprising a shank having a hook, and a latch, and a guide carried by the needle shank and positioned along side and projecting above the latch when in open position to cause the cross thread to engage a portion of the latch and close it before the loop thread moves into contact with another portion of said latch.

6. A hand operated mending needle comprising a shank having a relatively long hook, a notched latch pivoted in said shank and having a prong adapted to engage said hook and a short prong, and a guide having a sleeve portion surrounding the needle shank and a free offset portion positioned adjacent the atch when in open position to cause the cross thread to engage a portion of the latch and close it before the loop thread contacts with the latch.

In testimony whereof I aflix my si nature.

JOSEPH MES ING. 

